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Southern Roads #1
Baby, Drive South
The hardheaded Armstrong brothers are determined to rebuild their tornado-ravaged hometown in the Georgia mountains. They've got the means, they've got the manpower…what they need are women! So they place an ad in a northern newspaper and wait for the ladies to answer their call….
Porter, the youngest Armstrong, is all for importing women. Still, he's so blown away by the sheer numbers, he falls off the water tower. Luckily there's a doctor among the newcomers—sweet and sexy Dr. Nikki Salinger.
And Porter has every intention of checking out her bedside manner….
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 24, 2011
55 people are currently reading
877 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Bond
265 books1,784 followersUSA TODAY bestselling author Stephanie Bond was seven years deep into a systems engineering career and pursuing an MBA at night when an instructor remarked that she had a flair for writing and suggested that she submit to academic journals. But Stephanie, a voracious reader, was only interested in writing fiction–more specifically, romantic fiction.
Upon completing her master’s degree and with no formal training in writing (her undergraduate degree is in computer programming), she started writing a romance novel in her spare time. Two years later in 1995 she sold her first manuscript, a romantic comedy, to Harlequin Books.
In 1997, with ten sales under her belt to two publishers, Stephanie left her corporate job to write women’s romantic fiction full-time. In 2011,
Stephanie launched a self-publishing business. Since that time, she has sold more than 1 million copies of her own books. To-date, Stephanie has published over 70 novels and has over 6 million copies of her work in worldwide distribution in numerous languages and formats.
Upon completing her master’s degree and with no formal training in writing (her undergraduate degree is in computer programming), she started writing a romance novel in her spare time. Two years later in 1995 she sold her first manuscript, a romantic comedy, to Harlequin Books.
In 1997, with ten sales under her belt to two publishers, Stephanie left her corporate job to write women’s romantic fiction full-time. In 2011,
Stephanie launched a self-publishing business. Since that time, she has sold more than 1 million copies of her own books. To-date, Stephanie has published over 70 novels and has over 6 million copies of her work in worldwide distribution in numerous languages and formats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
May 4, 2011
☑ A mousy and plain intellectual heroine
☑ A cheating ex-fiancé
☑ An immature and silly hero a hot one, nonetheless
☑ An equally silly brothers
☑ Great dialogues
☑ Bones breaking numerous times
☑ Car sabotaging for a good cause
☑ Slaps upside the head between brothers
☑ LOLOL moments
I'm not feeling for an elaborate reviews this morning. I just had to finish the book very late last night which resulted on a sleep-deprived me today.
I love this book, had a good laugh through out the whole book. Heading to
now.
☑ A cheating ex-fiancé
☑ An immature and silly hero a hot one, nonetheless
☑ An equally silly brothers
☑ Great dialogues
☑ Bones breaking numerous times
☑ Car sabotaging for a good cause
☑ Slaps upside the head between brothers
☑ LOLOL moments
I'm not feeling for an elaborate reviews this morning. I just had to finish the book very late last night which resulted on a sleep-deprived me today.
I love this book, had a good laugh through out the whole book. Heading to
now.
December 21, 2017
Gah! The description of this book sounded good enough that I made it my Audible selection for the month. What a waste! I didn't like this book, but it was awesome at helping me get to sleep.
I hated so much about this novel, but the main target of my ire was Porter, who was an immature jerk. It seemed to me that poor Nikki had been kicked in the face by life too many times to resist the insultingly half-hearted (at least initially) advances of the hot but stupid guy who wouldn't let her leave town. I found it absurd, illegal, and stupid (and about 12 other strong adjectives) that Porter basically held her hostage in town by disabling her vehicle and enlisting his brothers to assist him in the deceit. I hate that Porter kept calling Nikki "little lady doc." I never found it adorable, which is what I think was supposed to happen. Instead, every time I heard it, I reflexively said, "Ass." I mean, seriously? This woman is a medical doctor in the 21st century, not Dr. Quinn in the wild west. Ugh. And what's with the Neanderthal men in town not being willing to go to a female doctor? They don't deserve her.
In another type of book, a man who removed a woman's only means of escape and used his position in town to have others back him up in this deception would be the bad guy. It would have taken a personality transplant to convince me that Porter was good enough for Nikki.
I hated so much about this novel, but the main target of my ire was Porter, who was an immature jerk. It seemed to me that poor Nikki had been kicked in the face by life too many times to resist the insultingly half-hearted (at least initially) advances of the hot but stupid guy who wouldn't let her leave town. I found it absurd, illegal, and stupid (and about 12 other strong adjectives) that Porter basically held her hostage in town by disabling her vehicle and enlisting his brothers to assist him in the deceit. I hate that Porter kept calling Nikki "little lady doc." I never found it adorable, which is what I think was supposed to happen. Instead, every time I heard it, I reflexively said, "Ass." I mean, seriously? This woman is a medical doctor in the 21st century, not Dr. Quinn in the wild west. Ugh. And what's with the Neanderthal men in town not being willing to go to a female doctor? They don't deserve her.
In another type of book, a man who removed a woman's only means of escape and used his position in town to have others back him up in this deception would be the bad guy. It would have taken a personality transplant to convince me that Porter was good enough for Nikki.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2011
3.5/5 stars. I have previously read one of Bond's mysteries, Body Movers, and enjoyed it, so I was happy to receive an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for review.
Perhaps it is the tornado-alley dwelling side of me, but I enjoyed the premise of this book: ten years ago, a town was wiped off the map by a tornado, and now three brothers are re-building said town into a green-utopia in hopes of bringing prosperity anew to their childhood home. Now comes the unbelievable, albeit entertaining, part. Part of the re-building process involves advertising for 100 single-women to move to the town and live in a dorm-style dwelling and make nice with the Southern menfolk construction workers. I guess they want a baby-boom to help recruit new town members. Enter some of the most stereo-typical blondes I have seen in a book in quite some time, paired with some cave-man style men that come across as being dumber than rocks. Though the quasi-chauvenistic storyline would normally make the Bryn Mawr student lurking inside of me shudder, the heroine of the book was a physician and was able to bring some fresh air and humor to the story.
I will admit that most of the book was formulaic and downright ridiculous at times, but I will also freely admit that I found the book to be entertaining. I even have plans to read the next book in the trilogy when it is published. The reason I ended up docking the book a half-point down from 4 stars is because the ending seemed hurried and abrupt to me.
Perhaps it is the tornado-alley dwelling side of me, but I enjoyed the premise of this book: ten years ago, a town was wiped off the map by a tornado, and now three brothers are re-building said town into a green-utopia in hopes of bringing prosperity anew to their childhood home. Now comes the unbelievable, albeit entertaining, part. Part of the re-building process involves advertising for 100 single-women to move to the town and live in a dorm-style dwelling and make nice with the Southern menfolk construction workers. I guess they want a baby-boom to help recruit new town members. Enter some of the most stereo-typical blondes I have seen in a book in quite some time, paired with some cave-man style men that come across as being dumber than rocks. Though the quasi-chauvenistic storyline would normally make the Bryn Mawr student lurking inside of me shudder, the heroine of the book was a physician and was able to bring some fresh air and humor to the story.
I will admit that most of the book was formulaic and downright ridiculous at times, but I will also freely admit that I found the book to be entertaining. I even have plans to read the next book in the trilogy when it is published. The reason I ended up docking the book a half-point down from 4 stars is because the ending seemed hurried and abrupt to me.
February 2, 2020
Oh man, where to start with this book. With the misogynistic @sshole hero? With the weak, antisocial, indecisive, self-deprecating heroine? With the outright act of kidnapping? With the unflattering stereotypes? Phew, this was a rough one.
All in all it was a disappointing story. Porter was a misogynistic jerk, Nikki indecisive and weak. And the ending was really abrupt and unsatisfying. No apologies or heartfelt talking. Just ILY, ILY too, end.
All in all it was a disappointing story. Porter was a misogynistic jerk, Nikki indecisive and weak. And the ending was really abrupt and unsatisfying. No apologies or heartfelt talking. Just ILY, ILY too, end.
October 30, 2011
DNF for me. Didn't even get a third of the way in.
My willing suspension of disbelief ability just wasn't quite good enough. They advertise for women. They get women who all come together from one town in Michigan. One of those women happens to be a doctor that just happens to travel with portable x-ray machine/drugs and still have room for other women. Man falls out of water tower and only breaks a leg. Man given sufficient drugs to knock him out to set leg. But when he comes out from under it he has enough energy/competence to make a bet with his brothers, climb under a car to mess with a fuel pump because he just knows the doc will make a break for it, climb a flight of stairs, come back down the stairs, "help" stranded doctor who seems to have forgotten to pack aforementioned x-ray machine. Oh, and he insults said doctor repeatedly but while she knows she should be upset all she can think about is just how hot he is, especially since he took his shirt off right before he fell out of the water tower so all his hotness is on display.
Blech.
My willing suspension of disbelief ability just wasn't quite good enough. They advertise for women. They get women who all come together from one town in Michigan. One of those women happens to be a doctor that just happens to travel with portable x-ray machine/drugs and still have room for other women. Man falls out of water tower and only breaks a leg. Man given sufficient drugs to knock him out to set leg. But when he comes out from under it he has enough energy/competence to make a bet with his brothers, climb under a car to mess with a fuel pump because he just knows the doc will make a break for it, climb a flight of stairs, come back down the stairs, "help" stranded doctor who seems to have forgotten to pack aforementioned x-ray machine. Oh, and he insults said doctor repeatedly but while she knows she should be upset all she can think about is just how hot he is, especially since he took his shirt off right before he fell out of the water tower so all his hotness is on display.
Blech.
December 21, 2017
Shallow misogynist men, ditzy whining shallow women fill this novel with pain for the reader.
It was an interesting concept---take one town that was razed by a tornado 10 years ago, have three sexy, hunky brothers buy the defunct town and try to rebuild it, fill it with men to work, be miles from nowhere, and then import women from the NORTH (apparently northern women are desperate for men?)to 'keep the men company'.
If you've loved Ms. Bonds other books as I have and are looking forward to the same interesting characters, entertaining plot lines and humor of her earlier works---then you may want to pass by this book.
I needed clarification on so many issues. I can read fiction and have no issues with suspending my disbelief for these books, but suspending it this much even for a light romance was too much. I really had to force myself to finish this book.
It was an interesting concept---take one town that was razed by a tornado 10 years ago, have three sexy, hunky brothers buy the defunct town and try to rebuild it, fill it with men to work, be miles from nowhere, and then import women from the NORTH (apparently northern women are desperate for men?)to 'keep the men company'.
If you've loved Ms. Bonds other books as I have and are looking forward to the same interesting characters, entertaining plot lines and humor of her earlier works---then you may want to pass by this book.
I needed clarification on so many issues. I can read fiction and have no issues with suspending my disbelief for these books, but suspending it this much even for a light romance was too much. I really had to force myself to finish this book.
August 12, 2011
I wasn't sure what decade this book was in, it had so many tendencies and cliches from the 1950's. Sort of Leave it to Beaver morals and thoughts, but set in 2011. The book was cute though and I did like the H&h's first encounter, as well as, it did get better as I got farther into it. I plan on reading the next one in the series because I had already bought it and will then decide if I want to go farther.
May 5, 2012
This is a sweet, sentimental love story, much more contemporary romance than romantica. Heat level more of a 3 than a 5.
I read for the escape, and love of reading and this book did not disappoint. Yes, as other reviewers have stated, aspects the story are unbelievable, but isn't that the way it is with most erotic romance literature as well? I found the whole premise of the series (as read in the description) to be unbelievable, but as it was a freebie, thought why not give it a shot? As for me, I'll be reading the next in the series.
I think Bond created interesting characters, and I enjoyed so many aspects of this story. The story rambles and winds, not unlike a country road.
If you've ever known anyone who has suffered the entire loss of a home, due to fire, flood, or storm, you will appreciate this story even more.
I read for the escape, and love of reading and this book did not disappoint. Yes, as other reviewers have stated, aspects the story are unbelievable, but isn't that the way it is with most erotic romance literature as well? I found the whole premise of the series (as read in the description) to be unbelievable, but as it was a freebie, thought why not give it a shot? As for me, I'll be reading the next in the series.
I think Bond created interesting characters, and I enjoyed so many aspects of this story. The story rambles and winds, not unlike a country road.
If you've ever known anyone who has suffered the entire loss of a home, due to fire, flood, or storm, you will appreciate this story even more.
July 16, 2011
For me this book was a bit slow, dry and stale. We've heard the premise a million times and Bond tries to make it into some sort of after-school special using the hot (but lonely) girl to tell the ugly duckling heroine (who does not try to maintain her appearance) that she is indeed pretty. Sigh. That sort of shit promotes physical up-keep laziness. I say if you want your heroine to be loved in spite of being drab, perhaps her hero needs to be a little more drab as well.
But I guess this is fiction.
There is nothing new in the story. The only remotely interesting thing is what the brother's stories might be like, and what they are doing with the town.
If there is a better book you can read, I say skip this one you're not missing anything.
But I guess this is fiction.
There is nothing new in the story. The only remotely interesting thing is what the brother's stories might be like, and what they are doing with the town.
If there is a better book you can read, I say skip this one you're not missing anything.
id-prefer-not-to
September 2, 2019The male interest, aka villain disguised as hero. disables the heroine's car and the local cell tower until she has fallen in love with him!!! It's revolting.
In the 21st century, misogynist men must be bribed by this creep to see a female doctor because they refused to see a doctor who wasn't a men. Wtfrog
EM PLENO SÉCULO XXI!!
In the 21st century, misogynist men must be bribed by this creep to see a female doctor because they refused to see a doctor who wasn't a men. Wtfrog
EM PLENO SÉCULO XXI!!
January 20, 2022
I read this in honor of my grandma, who liked smutty romance books, and because it has a word I needed in the title for a book challenge. I guess it is modern day but felt like olden days, as the doctor was referred to as “little lady doc” for most of the book. It was silly and I enjoyed the ridiculousness of it all.
July 29, 2011
This was a great start to a new series. I really liked the setting and the concept behind the town the brothers are trying to rebuild. The idea of building a green town from the devastation of a tornado is pretty awesome.
Porter, Kendall and Marcus Armstrong grew up in Sweetness, Georgia. They each left to make their way in the world, with every intention of returning someday. Then an F-5 tornado tore through town and detroyed it. Luckily no lives were lost, but the town was decimated. 10 years later the Armstrong brothers are back with a plan to rebuild the town. They have a government grant and two years to prove they can rebuild using green methods. They have plenty of man-power, but what's missing are the women. So they put an ad in the newspaper asking women to come help them start up the town.
None of them really expected it to work, but Parker, the youngest brother, spots a caravan of cars rolling into town and gets really excited. So excited he falls off the water tower and breaks his leg. Lucky for him, one of the new residents is Dr. Nikki Salinger.
Nikki is ready for a fresh start after a bad breakup and decides Sweetness is the perfect place to go. She has major reservations once she arrives, though. Not only is the town much more..rustic..than she thought, but Porter Armstrong does his best to insult her and make her feel unwelcome. He makes snide comments about her looks and compares her - very unfavorably - to some of the other women who showed up in town.
Porter promises his brothers he'll get Nikki to stay - they really need a doctor, and she seems to be the person all the other women look to for leadership - and he sets about trying to win her over to the town.
I have to be honest, I really hurt for Nikki in the beginning. Her self-esteem has already taken a beating thanks to her cheating ex-fiance and Porter only makes it worse. His comments about her not being very attractive really hit hard. It was hard to like him at first because of it. On the other hand, he didn't mean to sound the way he did. It wasn't like her purposely meant to hurt her feelings. So as frustrating as he was, it was easy to move on as the story progressed. Because we know how Porter really felt about Nikki in the beginning, it was interesting to watch them fall in love. Especially since Porter has to battle not only his own attraction, but Nikki's resistance because of his actions.
I really loved the rebuilding efforts of the town. The premise is an interesting one - make a totally green town - and Bond did a good job of describing the processes without info dumping. I also liked the relationship between the brothers. They really care about each other and the town, even if they are typical men.
Nikki's stubbornness and Porter's dumb mistakes did get a bit tedious as the story wore on. I understood in the beginning why both acted the way they did, but it started getting old. Nikki especially. She's a successful doctor, yet she had the confidence of a 16 year old. That didn't make sense.
Overall this was a sweet story. I enjoyed the setting and the romance.
4 out of 5
This review was originally posted on Book Binge by Holly.
Porter, Kendall and Marcus Armstrong grew up in Sweetness, Georgia. They each left to make their way in the world, with every intention of returning someday. Then an F-5 tornado tore through town and detroyed it. Luckily no lives were lost, but the town was decimated. 10 years later the Armstrong brothers are back with a plan to rebuild the town. They have a government grant and two years to prove they can rebuild using green methods. They have plenty of man-power, but what's missing are the women. So they put an ad in the newspaper asking women to come help them start up the town.
None of them really expected it to work, but Parker, the youngest brother, spots a caravan of cars rolling into town and gets really excited. So excited he falls off the water tower and breaks his leg. Lucky for him, one of the new residents is Dr. Nikki Salinger.
Nikki is ready for a fresh start after a bad breakup and decides Sweetness is the perfect place to go. She has major reservations once she arrives, though. Not only is the town much more..rustic..than she thought, but Porter Armstrong does his best to insult her and make her feel unwelcome. He makes snide comments about her looks and compares her - very unfavorably - to some of the other women who showed up in town.
Porter promises his brothers he'll get Nikki to stay - they really need a doctor, and she seems to be the person all the other women look to for leadership - and he sets about trying to win her over to the town.
I have to be honest, I really hurt for Nikki in the beginning. Her self-esteem has already taken a beating thanks to her cheating ex-fiance and Porter only makes it worse. His comments about her not being very attractive really hit hard. It was hard to like him at first because of it. On the other hand, he didn't mean to sound the way he did. It wasn't like her purposely meant to hurt her feelings. So as frustrating as he was, it was easy to move on as the story progressed. Because we know how Porter really felt about Nikki in the beginning, it was interesting to watch them fall in love. Especially since Porter has to battle not only his own attraction, but Nikki's resistance because of his actions.
I really loved the rebuilding efforts of the town. The premise is an interesting one - make a totally green town - and Bond did a good job of describing the processes without info dumping. I also liked the relationship between the brothers. They really care about each other and the town, even if they are typical men.
Nikki's stubbornness and Porter's dumb mistakes did get a bit tedious as the story wore on. I understood in the beginning why both acted the way they did, but it started getting old. Nikki especially. She's a successful doctor, yet she had the confidence of a 16 year old. That didn't make sense.
Overall this was a sweet story. I enjoyed the setting and the romance.
4 out of 5
This review was originally posted on Book Binge by Holly.
May 25, 2011
2.5/5 (D+)
I think I've read one book by Ms Bond in the past... and it didn't leave a deep impression. Still, I picked up Baby, Drive South because the premises sound interesting and original, it's contemporary romance and published by Mira.
What really worked for me in this book was the concept of the trilogy; I thought it was original and fun. Take something that really happened in the past and modernize it, give it a twist. So the premises definitively have potential. At the same time, I wonder why there wasn't more females involved in the project to begin with. I mean, in this day and age, there are women in the military, there are women involved in construction and engineering. As a result, I'm just surprised that there weren't more women to start with.
Frankly, the rest of the book was okay for me. The real big problem is that I wasn't engaged by the storyline or the characters. I found Porter to be quite immature. He did have his moments, but most of the time he was impulsive and didn't think stuff through. As for Nikki, it really took a long time for me to warm up to her. Actually, not even sure that by the end, I did ^_^; It's logical that once she arrives to Sweetness and sees the conditions and after few days there, she doesn't want to stay. To settle in Sweetness will definitively be hard work, but this is fiction. I didn't feel any real enthusiasm coming from Nikki for Sweetness, for trying, for really getting her new start. Almost immediately, she wanted to back and I thought that was unfortunate. Understandable, but then in that case, it's hard for me as a reader to feel good about Sweetness, no? I also didn't think that Porter and Nikki had any chemistry, sigh, and their romance felt flat for me.
In Baby, Drive South, readers are also introduced to some secondary characters. There are of course Porter's brothers, Kendall and Marcus, but also Rachel which seems to be the women's leader. My first impression of Rachel wasn't very good, but as the story progressed, she showed some maturity... so I don't know, she might turn out to be quite a complex and interesting character.
I think for me, everything in Baby, Drive South was a bit too forced and overall, this was just an okay book for me. Something to pass time, but not something that really reached me. Right now, as it is, I'm not really inclined to read the second book, Baby, Come Home.
I still think the book and trilogy have a lot of potential, unfortunately this book just didn't work for me ^_^;
I think I've read one book by Ms Bond in the past... and it didn't leave a deep impression. Still, I picked up Baby, Drive South because the premises sound interesting and original, it's contemporary romance and published by Mira.
What really worked for me in this book was the concept of the trilogy; I thought it was original and fun. Take something that really happened in the past and modernize it, give it a twist. So the premises definitively have potential. At the same time, I wonder why there wasn't more females involved in the project to begin with. I mean, in this day and age, there are women in the military, there are women involved in construction and engineering. As a result, I'm just surprised that there weren't more women to start with.
Frankly, the rest of the book was okay for me. The real big problem is that I wasn't engaged by the storyline or the characters. I found Porter to be quite immature. He did have his moments, but most of the time he was impulsive and didn't think stuff through. As for Nikki, it really took a long time for me to warm up to her. Actually, not even sure that by the end, I did ^_^; It's logical that once she arrives to Sweetness and sees the conditions and after few days there, she doesn't want to stay. To settle in Sweetness will definitively be hard work, but this is fiction. I didn't feel any real enthusiasm coming from Nikki for Sweetness, for trying, for really getting her new start. Almost immediately, she wanted to back and I thought that was unfortunate. Understandable, but then in that case, it's hard for me as a reader to feel good about Sweetness, no? I also didn't think that Porter and Nikki had any chemistry, sigh, and their romance felt flat for me.
In Baby, Drive South, readers are also introduced to some secondary characters. There are of course Porter's brothers, Kendall and Marcus, but also Rachel which seems to be the women's leader. My first impression of Rachel wasn't very good, but as the story progressed, she showed some maturity... so I don't know, she might turn out to be quite a complex and interesting character.
I think for me, everything in Baby, Drive South was a bit too forced and overall, this was just an okay book for me. Something to pass time, but not something that really reached me. Right now, as it is, I'm not really inclined to read the second book, Baby, Come Home.
I still think the book and trilogy have a lot of potential, unfortunately this book just didn't work for me ^_^;
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2011
Review posted at: Happily Ever After - Reads
The first word that came to mind as I was reading this book was delightful. So, ok, the “idea” that starts the series off might be a bit out there, but beyond that, this was simply a fun read. Three brothers are rebuilding their small hometown that was devastated by a tornado years earlier and abandoned by all the residents. The brothers, Marcus, Kendall and Porter Armstrong come together to help bring life back into Sweetness, Georgia. In an effort to bring more women to the town, the brothers put out an advertisement for women to come. Yes, I read this and thought…o…kay. But hey, we need the men and women to meet up somehow, so there ya go.
The women roll into town and we meet Nikki, she’s described as an average looking woman (but of course she’s anything but) and doctor. The brothers want her to stay in town at all cost, they need a physician and the woman tend to follow her lead, something that Nikki’s pretty oblivious to, she doesn’t understand why anyone would care what she thinks, but the women do and it’s Porter’s job to keep Nikki in Sweetness and happy.
My heart went out to Nikki on more than one occasion. I think it’s fair to say she has very low self-esteem, she knows she’s an excellent doctor, but she has no idea how to really be social. She has no family, one only close friend and left behind a cheating ex-fiancé. She’s been pretty battered down by things life has thrown at her, but she’s battled through and makes the best of it. Porter at one point thinks of her as a “lost little sheep” and I so wanted her to just be happy.
Porter is very fun loving, although early on he came off as a bit of an ass, making comments about meeting some of the fine looking women to Nikki, making it clear that Nikki was not considered part of that group (as if I needed more reasons to feel for her, Porter provided those).
Watching Porter come to his senses and realize that Nikki is beautiful and smart and was very much needed not only in the town but in his life, was enjoyable. The interaction between the brothers was fun and I’m curious about Kendall’s story. He was very broody and angsty; I love that in hero and he’ll be the lead in book 2.
I give the story 3 ½ stars, a very quick, fun read that left me satisfied with this story and looking forward to books 2 and 3 in the trilogy.
The first word that came to mind as I was reading this book was delightful. So, ok, the “idea” that starts the series off might be a bit out there, but beyond that, this was simply a fun read. Three brothers are rebuilding their small hometown that was devastated by a tornado years earlier and abandoned by all the residents. The brothers, Marcus, Kendall and Porter Armstrong come together to help bring life back into Sweetness, Georgia. In an effort to bring more women to the town, the brothers put out an advertisement for women to come. Yes, I read this and thought…o…kay. But hey, we need the men and women to meet up somehow, so there ya go.
The women roll into town and we meet Nikki, she’s described as an average looking woman (but of course she’s anything but) and doctor. The brothers want her to stay in town at all cost, they need a physician and the woman tend to follow her lead, something that Nikki’s pretty oblivious to, she doesn’t understand why anyone would care what she thinks, but the women do and it’s Porter’s job to keep Nikki in Sweetness and happy.
My heart went out to Nikki on more than one occasion. I think it’s fair to say she has very low self-esteem, she knows she’s an excellent doctor, but she has no idea how to really be social. She has no family, one only close friend and left behind a cheating ex-fiancé. She’s been pretty battered down by things life has thrown at her, but she’s battled through and makes the best of it. Porter at one point thinks of her as a “lost little sheep” and I so wanted her to just be happy.
Porter is very fun loving, although early on he came off as a bit of an ass, making comments about meeting some of the fine looking women to Nikki, making it clear that Nikki was not considered part of that group (as if I needed more reasons to feel for her, Porter provided those).
Watching Porter come to his senses and realize that Nikki is beautiful and smart and was very much needed not only in the town but in his life, was enjoyable. The interaction between the brothers was fun and I’m curious about Kendall’s story. He was very broody and angsty; I love that in hero and he’ll be the lead in book 2.
I give the story 3 ½ stars, a very quick, fun read that left me satisfied with this story and looking forward to books 2 and 3 in the trilogy.
August 28, 2011
Baby, Drive South by Stephanie Bond is the first book in her Southern Roads contemporary romance trilogy.
Porter Armstrong and his two brothers are trying to rebuild their hometown of Sweetness, Georgia, years after a tornado ripped through the area. So the brothers place a newspaper ad in hopes of attracting single women to the town to help with the rebuilding process. Dr. Nikki Salinger is one of the women who answers the ad. Nikki is trying to get over a bad breakup, but she's not sure that she wants to stay in Sweetness, especially since many of the male workers don't want to be treated by a female doctor. Porter knows that the town needs a doctor, so he decides to get Nikki to stay by any means necessary, even sabotaging her vehicle. What he doesn't count on is how hard he falls for her -- and what she'll do when she discovers what he's been up to ...
I have to admit that the cover suckered me in on this one. I think the blue is really eye-catching, and I like the scenery in the background. I also think the publisher, Mira (Harlequin), is really good at doing attractive, real-looking guys on covers (see Linda Lael Miller's cowboy covers). Also, I thought the premise sounded interesting -- although the tornado angle made it eerily timely as well, given all the tornadoes there were earlier this year, including those in the South.
For the most part, this is a cute book. Porter schemes to get Nikki to stay in Sweetness and finds himself getting into trouble along the way, including a disastrous lunch with another woman that involves chicken salad and food poisoning. This very much reads like a romantic comedy movie, and I'm a sucker for a good rom-com movie.
The book is a little cliche in places, though. A few of Porter's schemes are a little too over-the-top, and I wondered if every single one of the men working on rebuilding the town would refuse to see a female doctor in this day and time. (I really hope not.) Also, I thought the ending was a little abrupt and would have liked a few more pages there of Porter and Nikki's reconciliation.
Overall, this is an enjoyable read, especially if you like light-hearted contemporary romances.
Porter Armstrong and his two brothers are trying to rebuild their hometown of Sweetness, Georgia, years after a tornado ripped through the area. So the brothers place a newspaper ad in hopes of attracting single women to the town to help with the rebuilding process. Dr. Nikki Salinger is one of the women who answers the ad. Nikki is trying to get over a bad breakup, but she's not sure that she wants to stay in Sweetness, especially since many of the male workers don't want to be treated by a female doctor. Porter knows that the town needs a doctor, so he decides to get Nikki to stay by any means necessary, even sabotaging her vehicle. What he doesn't count on is how hard he falls for her -- and what she'll do when she discovers what he's been up to ...
I have to admit that the cover suckered me in on this one. I think the blue is really eye-catching, and I like the scenery in the background. I also think the publisher, Mira (Harlequin), is really good at doing attractive, real-looking guys on covers (see Linda Lael Miller's cowboy covers). Also, I thought the premise sounded interesting -- although the tornado angle made it eerily timely as well, given all the tornadoes there were earlier this year, including those in the South.
For the most part, this is a cute book. Porter schemes to get Nikki to stay in Sweetness and finds himself getting into trouble along the way, including a disastrous lunch with another woman that involves chicken salad and food poisoning. This very much reads like a romantic comedy movie, and I'm a sucker for a good rom-com movie.
The book is a little cliche in places, though. A few of Porter's schemes are a little too over-the-top, and I wondered if every single one of the men working on rebuilding the town would refuse to see a female doctor in this day and time. (I really hope not.) Also, I thought the ending was a little abrupt and would have liked a few more pages there of Porter and Nikki's reconciliation.
Overall, this is an enjoyable read, especially if you like light-hearted contemporary romances.
June 22, 2011
Over a decade ago Sweetness Georgia was swept away by a monster F-5 Tornado destroying every standing building and amazingly without loss of life. Now after their stints in the various arms of the military the Armstrong brothers with the help of men they personally recruited and a government grant are back to rebuild the town, only now it’ll be better than before it’ll be eco-friendly and it’ll sustain itself and it’s residents on environmentally approved businesses. The only trouble, the town needs women, lots of them and fast so the brothers advertise in a small northern town hit hard by the economy looking for 100 pioneer minded women to help these brothers and their men rebuild this town.
The youngest Armstrong, Porter is looking forward to this influx of females, so much so that he’s been known to stand on top of the water tower looking for them and one such day he sees a huge cloud of dust on the horizon and realizes it’s a ton of vehicles headed their way and on his way down to alert the town he falls off the tower and breaks his leg. He’s rescued by the petite Dr. Nikki Salinger who has her own reasons for coming to this back water town, but she’s not so sure she’s staying. Porter is told by his brothers to keep Nikki there at any cost, he just didn’t know it would cost him his heart.
This is a very interesting and very cute concept for a trilogy. Ms. Bond does a good job with her story line making me want to find out what happens next, making me interested in what happens to the characters, and making me like the characters. I liked her down-home southern dialogue from the Armstrongs mixed with the mixed cultures of the women and a few strings of expletives when they’re needed. The characters were funny and interesting and pretty three dimensional. The hero and heroine were also in depth characters and I found myself liking them very much. The romance was predictable but it really fit in with the concept of the novel and worked really well. The love scenes are steamy and sexy.
Take a breather this summer to enjoy the first in this brand new trilogy, I wasn’t sorry and you won’t be either.
The youngest Armstrong, Porter is looking forward to this influx of females, so much so that he’s been known to stand on top of the water tower looking for them and one such day he sees a huge cloud of dust on the horizon and realizes it’s a ton of vehicles headed their way and on his way down to alert the town he falls off the tower and breaks his leg. He’s rescued by the petite Dr. Nikki Salinger who has her own reasons for coming to this back water town, but she’s not so sure she’s staying. Porter is told by his brothers to keep Nikki there at any cost, he just didn’t know it would cost him his heart.
This is a very interesting and very cute concept for a trilogy. Ms. Bond does a good job with her story line making me want to find out what happens next, making me interested in what happens to the characters, and making me like the characters. I liked her down-home southern dialogue from the Armstrongs mixed with the mixed cultures of the women and a few strings of expletives when they’re needed. The characters were funny and interesting and pretty three dimensional. The hero and heroine were also in depth characters and I found myself liking them very much. The romance was predictable but it really fit in with the concept of the novel and worked really well. The love scenes are steamy and sexy.
Take a breather this summer to enjoy the first in this brand new trilogy, I wasn’t sorry and you won’t be either.
December 7, 2013
I didn't read any of the reviews before I began this book, but I read them afterwards. It seems a lot of reviewers disliked the whole premise of this book. The idea that three brothers and a band of ex-military men would come back to a town that was demolished by an awful tornado to rebuild seems to be understandable. However, reviewers seemed to be upset by the idea that these men would set out an ad in a newspaper calling for 100 women to move to the barren town to 'keep the men comfortable'.
A gaggle of women show up just as one of the brothers has an accident. I loved 'little lady doc' a lot. Her character spoke to me. I understand the need to remove yourself from an old life. She is completely standoffish at first and due to some of her history. But then there's Porter, one of the three Armstrong men in charge of rebuilding the town. Porter is also charged with keeping little lady doc aka Nikki in town. Other reviewers seemed to hate how he chose to do that. He chose to remove a part of her van so she couldn't leave but in reality she didn't really want to leave. She was scared and way out of her element, and was running away from emotions she wasn't used to have.
Personally, I loved the interaction between the two main characters. Porter pulled her into a world filled with warmth and understanding, opening her up, and she grounded him somehow. Overall, you have to just take some things as given. Just like you do when reading a science fiction novel. You have to just put yourself in a new world and to me this was no difference.
Overall, a cute story with really sweet moments.
A gaggle of women show up just as one of the brothers has an accident. I loved 'little lady doc' a lot. Her character spoke to me. I understand the need to remove yourself from an old life. She is completely standoffish at first and due to some of her history. But then there's Porter, one of the three Armstrong men in charge of rebuilding the town. Porter is also charged with keeping little lady doc aka Nikki in town. Other reviewers seemed to hate how he chose to do that. He chose to remove a part of her van so she couldn't leave but in reality she didn't really want to leave. She was scared and way out of her element, and was running away from emotions she wasn't used to have.
Personally, I loved the interaction between the two main characters. Porter pulled her into a world filled with warmth and understanding, opening her up, and she grounded him somehow. Overall, you have to just take some things as given. Just like you do when reading a science fiction novel. You have to just put yourself in a new world and to me this was no difference.
Overall, a cute story with really sweet moments.
July 14, 2011
Baby, Drive South by Stephanie Bond was an absolutely amazing story about courage and finding a home in the last place you expected to. I fell in love not only with this story, but with the characters as well. Baby, Drive South gripped me and reeled me in with Porter’s antics and Nikki’s cautious
Things I Love About Baby, Drive South by Stephanie Bond:
The ad
Sweetness itself
The Armstrong Brothers
Women caravan
Nikki and Porter’s first meeting
Porter always sticking his foot in his mouth
Nikki’s emotional sensitivity which makes her unique and at the same time relatable
Atlanta Trip
The water tower
Cupid
Molly
Porter’s determination to win Nikki back even as she is driving away
And Nikki and Porter, ending up right back where they started :)
Baby, Drive South by Stephanie Bond is one of those romance books you want to own because it is a story you will never get tired of reading. I give Baby, Drive South by Stephanie Bond 5 smirks because I am invested in the outcomes of not only the characters in this book, but in the characters in the other books of this series. I find Stephanie Bond’s writing to be inventive, dramatic, and heartwarming that pulls readers into wanting more.
Things I Love About Baby, Drive South by Stephanie Bond:
The ad
Sweetness itself
The Armstrong Brothers
Women caravan
Nikki and Porter’s first meeting
Porter always sticking his foot in his mouth
Nikki’s emotional sensitivity which makes her unique and at the same time relatable
Atlanta Trip
The water tower
Cupid
Molly
Porter’s determination to win Nikki back even as she is driving away
And Nikki and Porter, ending up right back where they started :)
Baby, Drive South by Stephanie Bond is one of those romance books you want to own because it is a story you will never get tired of reading. I give Baby, Drive South by Stephanie Bond 5 smirks because I am invested in the outcomes of not only the characters in this book, but in the characters in the other books of this series. I find Stephanie Bond’s writing to be inventive, dramatic, and heartwarming that pulls readers into wanting more.
April 12, 2013
This is the first of a trilogy set in the north Georgia mountains in the fictional town of Sweetness, which was razed to the ground by an EF-5 tornado a decade ago. How this tornado managed to raze an entire town without any loss of life is something the reader must simply believe. Three brothers, Porter, Kendall, and Marcus (all good old southern boys with washboard abs) are rebuilding the town. They invite women from Broadway, MN, to come down for companionship (i.e., sex) and to help with the rebuilding.
After a fall from the town’s water tower, the cocky and charming youngest brother, Porter, makes the acquaintance of the newly arrived town doctor, Nikki Salinger, who is hoping to rebuild her life after her fiancé leaves her for a stripper named Tori. Add to this mix a bet, some desperation, two older brothers, a cantankerous “mountain doctor” who uses herbs to treat broken bones, almost a hundred other women (some of whom are simply caricatures), and you have a pleasant, off-beat southern ride.
Some of the minor characters are simply stereotypes of southern men and northern women. All romances are, to a degree, formulaic, but this one held my interest for a while.
After a fall from the town’s water tower, the cocky and charming youngest brother, Porter, makes the acquaintance of the newly arrived town doctor, Nikki Salinger, who is hoping to rebuild her life after her fiancé leaves her for a stripper named Tori. Add to this mix a bet, some desperation, two older brothers, a cantankerous “mountain doctor” who uses herbs to treat broken bones, almost a hundred other women (some of whom are simply caricatures), and you have a pleasant, off-beat southern ride.
Some of the minor characters are simply stereotypes of southern men and northern women. All romances are, to a degree, formulaic, but this one held my interest for a while.
November 26, 2019
Dnf at 50%. I so wanted to enjoy this book. I love the idea of rebuilding a town as a premise for a romance series. This was so contrived and fell so flat. I had to double check what year it was written. Nikki had the potential to be an awesome powerhouse of a character (I mean, a 21st century physician who leaves home to to become a doctor to a rural/primitive town—what’s not to love). Instead she spend the majority of the story bemoaning (or moaning about how she does not bemoan) her level of attractiveness (or lack thereof). Porter, who again had so much potential was at best an ass. And at worst a kidnapper. The extra women in the town were portrayed as the most stereotypical worst case females on earth. They knew they were moving to a town in progress—yet they expected restaurants and vegan food and apparently to never have to work again??
Finally, I��m all for suspending belief for the fun of a good story. However...we’re supposed to believe that they built a “boarding house” that houses 100 woman with individual rooms and bathrooms. That’s like a massive hotel. They did it with little to no resources and in a few months? And seriously, saying “god bless you” is not a ‘southern thing’, so there’s no way a grown woman is surprised to hear it.
Finally, I��m all for suspending belief for the fun of a good story. However...we’re supposed to believe that they built a “boarding house” that houses 100 woman with individual rooms and bathrooms. That’s like a massive hotel. They did it with little to no resources and in a few months? And seriously, saying “god bless you” is not a ‘southern thing’, so there’s no way a grown woman is surprised to hear it.
July 17, 2011
I love Stephanie Bond's books. She departs from her Body Movers series(totally fun books but totally not what I'd call romance) and goes back to writing a sweet romance in this series starter. The Armstrong brothers are rebuilding their hometown of Sweetness, GA which was completely destroyed a decade ago by a F5 tornado. They recruit women to the town without really thinking about what 100 women really need(it sure isn't just a five minute shower). Upon their arrival the youngest brother, Porter meets up with Dr. Nikki Salinger. Porter is in need of her services and before long he begins to look and think of her differently than just that. I liked this book very much. My book club read this book and we all thought that the whole concept was like an updated western(most of us loved the book and weren't bothered by this thought). The 2nd book is out now, however the 3rd book I think is delayed (boo hiss). There is a short e-book novella available that deals with the day the F5 happens, but you don't need to read it to enjoy this book.
January 12, 2012
I rated this book 2 stars, although I struggled between doing 2 or 3, since no matter my complaints, I'll probably still end up reading the next two in the Southern Roads Trilogy.
I knew this book was going to be fluffier than my usual preference right from the beginning - Three hot ex-military men rebuilding their hometown realize that the other hundred or so men there could probably use some eye candy, so they run an ad in a Northern paper and the women come in droves.
Nothing wrong with fluff, but this book was so formally written, both in characters and in dialogue, it was hard to form any sort of emotional attachment. Plus, I felt like I was being beat over the head with the fact that the main male character was hot, and the main female character was not.
Check out my full review at my website, where I also talk about the sex scene.
http://www.whiskeyandbooks.blogspot.com
I knew this book was going to be fluffier than my usual preference right from the beginning - Three hot ex-military men rebuilding their hometown realize that the other hundred or so men there could probably use some eye candy, so they run an ad in a Northern paper and the women come in droves.
Nothing wrong with fluff, but this book was so formally written, both in characters and in dialogue, it was hard to form any sort of emotional attachment. Plus, I felt like I was being beat over the head with the fact that the main male character was hot, and the main female character was not.
Check out my full review at my website, where I also talk about the sex scene.
http://www.whiskeyandbooks.blogspot.com
April 16, 2011
Well. What was the most annoying thing about this book? The fact that the plot would have made more sense if it were set jn 1936 instead of 2011? The hero's irritating nicknname for the heroine (little lady doc)? The tedious way the plot focused on whether she would stay or go? There are just so many choices.
February 3, 2016
Eher 2.5 als 3 Sterne. Eigentlich ist das Buch nicht schlecht, aber es ist von vorne bis hinten so durchschnittlich, dass es einem trotzdem wie Zeitverschwendung vorkommt. Schließlich könnte man in der Zeit viele, viele bessere Bücher lesen. (Man muss sie nur finden.)
Read
December 24, 2014Miniseries: Southern Roads
October 9, 2013
About the Author
Stephanie Bond has written over fifty novels, including the Body Movers series and the Southern Roads trilogy. She is best known for writing steamy books that make audiences laugh out loud. Originally from Kentucky, she attended Morehead State University, where she studied computer programming. Prior to writing novels, she worked for a Fortune 100 petroleum company in Lexington, Kentucky as a programmer. Visit her at www.stephaniebond.com. Cassandra Campbell has recorded nearly two hundred audio books and directed many more. She has been nominated for and won multiple Audie Awards, as well as the prestigious Odyssey Award. She has received numerous starred audio reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal as well as thirteen AudioFile Earphones Awards. Cassandra was also named a Best Voice by AudioFile for 2009 and 2010.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Porter Armstrong stepped off the metal ladder onto the platform of the newly restored, white water tower soaring over the resurrected town of Sweetness, Georgia. "Town" was a generous description of the expanse of stark land beneath him—fields of bare red clay stretched as far as the eye could see, hemmed by stands of stunted hardwood trees that still bore the ravages of the tornado that had obliterated the small mountain town a decade ago.
Porter had happily united with his older brothers, Marcus and Kendall, in their efforts to rebuild Sweetness. With an army of strong men, they'd made great strides in clearing debris and establishing the basis for the recycling industry they hoped would provide an economic foundation for the fledgling town. One too-tall, too-perfect pine tree in the distance was actually a camouflaged cell tower erected by a communications company turned partner, eager to get in on the ground floor of the green experiment.
The project of which the brothers were most proud— the newly paved road containing recycled asphalt—was a neat black ribbon leading from the horizon into what had been established as the town center. Granted, downtown Sweetness was more of a vision than a reality since it currently consisted of a dining hall and the boarding-house that had been built in preparation for impending visitors. But the brothers were optimistic.
Or, according to some, crazy.
Colonel Molly Maclntyre at the diner was one such person. She ruled the men and their dining hall with an iron fist, and did not cotton to the idea of, in her words, "a bunch of flibbertigibbet females" taking over the town.
Porter shrugged out of his work shirt and folded it over the railing to enjoy a rare cool June breeze. The summer heat had been brutal already, with the temperature and humidity sure to get worse before getting better. He pulled a bandanna from his jeans pocket and wiped the sweat dripping down his neck as he scanned the horizon, hoping for a glimpse of movement—anything that might indicate a response from the ad Kendall had placed in the newspaper. The ad had run in a northern town hit particularly hard by the economic downturn, and had stated their need for "one hundred women looking for a fresh start." Kendall had reasoned women were more likely to come and stay if accompanied by friends and if they relocated from a good distance. Women in nearby Atlanta, his brother had insisted, would be too likely to hightail it back home when the going got rough.
Whatever. It wasn't as if Northern women were any different from Southern ones.
The ad had hit the newspaper in Broadway, Michigan, a week ago, and Porter had climbed the water tower several times a day in the hopes of spotting a car or moving van headed their way.
Their eldest brother, Marcus, who had grudgingly agreed to the plan to import women, belly laughed every time Porter returned to their office and gave a thumbs-down. Porter dreaded going back to face his gloating big brother again. Marcus was convinced no eligible woman in her right mind would come to their remote mountain town despite the lure of lots of strapping, single Southern men.
For his part, women who weren't in their right mind were just the kind of women Porter was hoping would answer their ad. Reckless, ripe and ready for the picking. He hadn't bedded a woman in…
He cursed under his breath as he unclipped a pair of binoculars from his belt. If he couldn't remember when he'd last had a woman's legs wrapped around him, it had been way too long.
Porter adjusted the lenses to bring the distant landscape into focus, zeroing in on the brand-spanking-new road. Due to cost and labor, the brothers had decided to wait to add yellow striping until enough cars arrived to warrant two-way traffic control. For now, the most frequent travelers of the road—rabbits, skunks, opossums and armadillos—didn't seem to mind the omission.
Porter skimmed the view for any signs of human life. In the old days, the water tower had been a lookout for lightning fires and other natural disasters. The metal box on the side of the tank held tornado sirens. By a bizarre twist of fate, the tower from which the mammoth tornado had been spotted to allow an alarm to be sounded had been the only structure spared in the ensuing destruction. Tornadoes at this altitude were rare, and this one had been monstrous. Every resident had survived, but every man-made thing in the storm's path had been leveled. To the tiny town already dying a slow economic death, it had been the fatal blow.
His brothers hadn't been in town when it happened, but Porter had been home on leave from the Army and vividly remembered climbing out of a root cellar after the twister had passed. Ground-level pictures and television footage couldn't quite capture the utter obliteration of homes, schools, businesses, churches. Only aerial photographs of the flattened debris showed the enormity of the loss. Those gut-wrenching pictures were branded on Porter's brain—their own homestead and all its contents had simply vanished from its concrete footer. Hauntingly, the black metal mailbox left standing at the end of the driveway was the only proof the Armstrongs had ever lived on that spot.
His mother had cried for weeks over her missing wedding ring. Even after their father had passed away, she'd worn the gold filigree band every day, but had taken it off moments before the storm hit to do chores. Porter had scoured their property with a metal detector for days before relenting that the ring, like all their other worldly possessions and those of their neighbors, had been lost to the four winds.
When the Armstrong brothers had returned to Sweetness a few months ago, the decaying main road had been overtaken by weeds and fallen trees. Animals had taken up residence in the piles of splintered wood and crumbled brick where houses and businesses had once stood. Porter had taken one look at the remnants of the town, choked with thick kudzu vines, and had been overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task before them.
If either of his two brothers had balked at that moment, he would've gone with them. Kendall had taken in the wasteland before them in heavy silence; but characteristically, Marcus had simply jammed his hands on his hips and said, "Let's get to work, boys."
What lay ahead had been countless hours of back-breaking work for them and the men they'd recruited, most of whom had served with Marcus in the Marines, with Kendall in the Air Force, and with him in the Army. In the beginning, they had all been too tired by the end of the day to think about the fact that their beds were empty. But now…
Porter spotted movement in the distance and jerked the binoculars back to focus. At the sight of heat rising from the dark asphalt in an undulating haze, his heart jumped to his throat—a vehicle was approaching…a large vehicle. Porter squinted, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. When realization struck, he almost dropped the binoculars.
It wasn't a large vehicle… it was several vehicles approaching. No—
Dozens.
A bumper-to-bumper caravan was headed straight for Sweetness! And from the looks of the arms and heads and long hair lolling out of convertibles and rolled-down windows, the cars were jam-packed with women. Hot, eager, willing women!
Porter slapped his thigh and whooped with joy. He waved his arms, knowing the chances of anyone noticing him at this distance were slim at best. But the ad had worked—he couldn't wait to tell Marcus! He rushed toward the ladder, returning the binoculars to his belt while fumbling for his cell phone. With one hand he began to scramble down the tall, narrow ladder, using the other hand to speed-dial his brother, half-wishing he could be there in person to see the look on Marcus's face.
Porter suddenly realized he'd forgotten his shirt and in his hesitation, his foot slipped off a rung. The weight of his body broke his one-handed grip. His gut clenched in realization of just how far a fall off the tower ladder would be. He flailed in midair for a few seconds before conceding defeat and tucking into a roll to help absorb the certain and nasty impact.
As he plummeted through the air, Porter released a strangled curse. Just his rotten luck that carloads of women were finally here…and he'd be lying at the bottom of the water tower with a broken neck.
The flat-back landing jarred every bone in Porter's body and drove the air out of his lungs. He lay there for a few seconds and waited for the initial pain to subside before daring to breathe. When he had no choice but to drag air into his body, he registered gratefully that his lungs hadn't been punctured. He only hoped the rest of his internal organs had fared so well. The sweet tang of wild grass and the musty scent of soil filled his nostrils. His ears buzzed with more than the noise of the insects in the weeds around him.
He opened his eyes gingerly and saw the water tower looming over him at a seemingly impossible height. The fact that he was alive was a small miracle.
"Porter? Porter?"
At the sound of his name, he blinked, then realized the distant voice was coming from his cell phone lying near his head.
Marcus.
Porter twisted to reach the phone, but when pain lit up his lower left leg, he shouted in agony. "Porter?"
He made another attempt, gritting his teeth against his body's rebellion, and finally closed his fingers around the phone. He brought it to his ear. "Yeah, I'm here."
"What happened?"
Porter winced again, contrite. "I was on the water tower."
"And?"
"And.I have good news and bad news."
Marcus's sigh crackled like static over the phone. "Give me the good news."
"There's a caravan of women headed into town."
"If that's the good news," Marcus said sourly, "I don't think I want to hear the bad news."
"The bad news is I fell off the water tower and I think I broke my leg."
Porter held the phone away...
September 16, 2025
Inhalt
„Liebe ist kein Beinbruch“ von Stephanie Bond ist ein wunderbarer Liebesroman. Die drei Armstrong-Brüder haben sich in den Kopf gesetzt ihre alte Heimatstadt, die durch einen Tornado komplett zerstört wurde, wieder aufzubauen. Sie wollen, dass ihre Mutter irgendwann wieder in ihre Heimat zurückkehren kann. Professionell planen sie den Wiederaufbau, bekommen sogar finanzielle Unterstützung von der Regierung und haben auch tatkräftige Unterstützung von einer großen Gruppe Arbeiter. Zu ihrem Glück fehlt ihnen jetzt nur noch eins: Frauen. Über eine Anzeige haben sie 100 Frauen nach Sweetness eingeladen, um dort ein neues Leben zu starten. Unter ihnen ist auch die junge Ärztin Dr. Nikki Salinger, die sich schon nach kurzer Zeit nicht mehr sicher ist, ob ein Neustart in Sweetness die richtige Entscheidung war, doch für die Armstrongs ist es enorm wichtig, Nikki vom Gegenteil zu überzeugen. Nur mit ihr hat Sweetness eine Chance.
Meinung
Zunächst ein Wort zum Cover. Mir gefällt es nicht besonders. Es erinnert mich eher an einen dieser kitschigen Arzt-Romane aus dem Supermarkt und hat damit zunächst ein völlig falsches Bild erzeugt. Ein bisschen mehr Sweetness auf dem Cover hätte mir besser gefallen. Zum Inhalt ist zu sagen, dass Stephanie Bond hier einen tollen Liebesroman auf den Markt gebracht hat, mit dem sie bestimmt viele weibliche Leserinnen gewinnt. Männer gehören wahrscheinlich eher weniger zur Zielgruppe. Die Idee mit dem Aufbau einer Stadt, die von einem Tornado zerstört wurde, finde ich super. Damit wird der perfekte Hintergrund für die Geschichte geschaffen. Schön ist auch, dass die Autorin über die Planung des Aufbaus erzählt, dass beispielsweise Recycling ein wichtiger Wirtschaftszweig für die Stadt werden soll und welche Gebäude geplant sind, etc. Das gibt der Geschichte einen runden Charakter und verhindert, dass es zu kitschig wird. Als weiterer Pluspunkt ist aufzuführen, dass sich das Buch mit einem Handlungsstrang begnügt. Man hätte natürlich auch noch über die Liebesbeziehungen, Probleme und Schwierigkeiten der anderen anwesenden Frauen und Männer berichten können, aber das hätte wahrscheinlich eher zu Verwirrungen geführt. So musste man sich auch nicht 100 Frauennamen merken und wer welchen Beruf ausübt, man konnte sich auf die Hauptpersonen konzentrieren und so den Handlungsstrang immer gut nachvollziehen. Allerdings kann man von „Liebe ist kein Beinbruch“ keine allzu tiefgründige Geschichte erwarten. Es ist und bleibt ein schöner Liebesroman. Nicht mehr und nicht weniger. Wer beispielsweise auf Action oder Thrill steht, der ist hier nicht richtig aufgehoben. Ein kleines bisschen mehr Spannung würde die Geschichte durchaus noch vertragen. Besonders gut gefällt mir der Charakter Porter Armstrong. Manchmal kommt seine kindliche Ader durch und er überlässt seinem Bauch die Entscheidungen. Damit manövriert er sich immer mal wieder in brenzlige Situationen aus der denen er aber immer wieder – meist mit mehr Glück als Verstand – fast unversehrt herauskommt. Nikki Salinger gewinnt über die Geschichte immer mehr meine Sympathien. Sie überzeugt vor allem mit ihrem realistischen Blick auf die Dinge, ohne sich zu sehr von romantischen Gefühlen beeinflussen zu lassen. Natürlich fühlt sie sich zu Porter hingezogen, versucht aber immer wieder ihre Situation aus einer nüchternen Perspektive zu betrachten. Allerdings bedeutet das für sie, dass sie sich manchmal selbst im Weg steht.
Fazit
Das Buch hat mir wirklich gut gefallen! Genau das richtige Buch für die kommenden kalten Wintertage!
„Liebe ist kein Beinbruch“ von Stephanie Bond ist ein wunderbarer Liebesroman. Die drei Armstrong-Brüder haben sich in den Kopf gesetzt ihre alte Heimatstadt, die durch einen Tornado komplett zerstört wurde, wieder aufzubauen. Sie wollen, dass ihre Mutter irgendwann wieder in ihre Heimat zurückkehren kann. Professionell planen sie den Wiederaufbau, bekommen sogar finanzielle Unterstützung von der Regierung und haben auch tatkräftige Unterstützung von einer großen Gruppe Arbeiter. Zu ihrem Glück fehlt ihnen jetzt nur noch eins: Frauen. Über eine Anzeige haben sie 100 Frauen nach Sweetness eingeladen, um dort ein neues Leben zu starten. Unter ihnen ist auch die junge Ärztin Dr. Nikki Salinger, die sich schon nach kurzer Zeit nicht mehr sicher ist, ob ein Neustart in Sweetness die richtige Entscheidung war, doch für die Armstrongs ist es enorm wichtig, Nikki vom Gegenteil zu überzeugen. Nur mit ihr hat Sweetness eine Chance.
Meinung
Zunächst ein Wort zum Cover. Mir gefällt es nicht besonders. Es erinnert mich eher an einen dieser kitschigen Arzt-Romane aus dem Supermarkt und hat damit zunächst ein völlig falsches Bild erzeugt. Ein bisschen mehr Sweetness auf dem Cover hätte mir besser gefallen. Zum Inhalt ist zu sagen, dass Stephanie Bond hier einen tollen Liebesroman auf den Markt gebracht hat, mit dem sie bestimmt viele weibliche Leserinnen gewinnt. Männer gehören wahrscheinlich eher weniger zur Zielgruppe. Die Idee mit dem Aufbau einer Stadt, die von einem Tornado zerstört wurde, finde ich super. Damit wird der perfekte Hintergrund für die Geschichte geschaffen. Schön ist auch, dass die Autorin über die Planung des Aufbaus erzählt, dass beispielsweise Recycling ein wichtiger Wirtschaftszweig für die Stadt werden soll und welche Gebäude geplant sind, etc. Das gibt der Geschichte einen runden Charakter und verhindert, dass es zu kitschig wird. Als weiterer Pluspunkt ist aufzuführen, dass sich das Buch mit einem Handlungsstrang begnügt. Man hätte natürlich auch noch über die Liebesbeziehungen, Probleme und Schwierigkeiten der anderen anwesenden Frauen und Männer berichten können, aber das hätte wahrscheinlich eher zu Verwirrungen geführt. So musste man sich auch nicht 100 Frauennamen merken und wer welchen Beruf ausübt, man konnte sich auf die Hauptpersonen konzentrieren und so den Handlungsstrang immer gut nachvollziehen. Allerdings kann man von „Liebe ist kein Beinbruch“ keine allzu tiefgründige Geschichte erwarten. Es ist und bleibt ein schöner Liebesroman. Nicht mehr und nicht weniger. Wer beispielsweise auf Action oder Thrill steht, der ist hier nicht richtig aufgehoben. Ein kleines bisschen mehr Spannung würde die Geschichte durchaus noch vertragen. Besonders gut gefällt mir der Charakter Porter Armstrong. Manchmal kommt seine kindliche Ader durch und er überlässt seinem Bauch die Entscheidungen. Damit manövriert er sich immer mal wieder in brenzlige Situationen aus der denen er aber immer wieder – meist mit mehr Glück als Verstand – fast unversehrt herauskommt. Nikki Salinger gewinnt über die Geschichte immer mehr meine Sympathien. Sie überzeugt vor allem mit ihrem realistischen Blick auf die Dinge, ohne sich zu sehr von romantischen Gefühlen beeinflussen zu lassen. Natürlich fühlt sie sich zu Porter hingezogen, versucht aber immer wieder ihre Situation aus einer nüchternen Perspektive zu betrachten. Allerdings bedeutet das für sie, dass sie sich manchmal selbst im Weg steht.
Fazit
Das Buch hat mir wirklich gut gefallen! Genau das richtige Buch für die kommenden kalten Wintertage!
November 13, 2020
Its bad. So. So bad. I was DNF at 20%. I didn't stop reading for the terrible stereotypes, the unrealistic premise, the misogynistic attitudes, but because of the characters. They aren't relatable. The male MC is an arse to the female MC and puts her down constantly within minutes of meeting her. She's not pretty. She's described as plain. Her personality is meak and indecisive.
I almost quit reading when our heroine doctor literally seconds after pulling into town has to attend to Porter. Within minutes of the eval, she pulls out a prefilled syringe with a painkiller in it to give to him. I realize she's a doc, but she literally pulled into town and has a loaded syringe in her pocket. She didn't have to go back to van, look through her medical bag, nothing . Just bam, let me just utilize this handy narcotic that is usually kept under lock and key. Then, she just happens to have a van full of medical supplies they can use. They don't even have running water in this town or a grocery store and they thought it was a good idea to invite 100 women in. The nearest medical facility is 4hrs away. Porter falls off of a water tower and is laying on the ground in pain. His brothers roll up and wrap his ankle, even though he said it was his leg, and load him in a fourwheeler to take back to "town". Thank God he didn't have a broken back or neck. Just soo many little things like this that didn't stop.
Don't recommend.
I almost quit reading when our heroine doctor literally seconds after pulling into town has to attend to Porter. Within minutes of the eval, she pulls out a prefilled syringe with a painkiller in it to give to him. I realize she's a doc, but she literally pulled into town and has a loaded syringe in her pocket. She didn't have to go back to van, look through her medical bag, nothing . Just bam, let me just utilize this handy narcotic that is usually kept under lock and key. Then, she just happens to have a van full of medical supplies they can use. They don't even have running water in this town or a grocery store and they thought it was a good idea to invite 100 women in. The nearest medical facility is 4hrs away. Porter falls off of a water tower and is laying on the ground in pain. His brothers roll up and wrap his ankle, even though he said it was his leg, and load him in a fourwheeler to take back to "town". Thank God he didn't have a broken back or neck. Just soo many little things like this that didn't stop.
Don't recommend.
December 1, 2018
I remember reading this when it first came out and being head-over-heels in love with it. My tastes have obviously changed because I can’t quite say the same thing today. I love military heroes (and heroines), and to have an entire small southern town filled with them had the potential for heart palpitations. I loved the idea of Nikki leaving a bad situation and starting over somewhere new. I just wish she’d actively embraced the possibilities rather than fighting against them for pretty much the whole book. I also wasn’t much of a fan of the way this book throws around the stereotypes, but I think that’s mostly because I come out on the short end of the stick in the comparison: charming southern men with all the manners their mammas taught them versus the high-maintenance, demanding northern women who are often too independent for their own good. I love the goals Porter and his brothers have for their town and I adore the family moments they share with us. It’s a fun story that I enjoyed reading, but it made me grit my teeth almost as often as it provoked a laugh.
September 24, 2017
I loved this book. It was fun, fast paced, and interesting. I was not a fan of Porter to begin with, but he grew on me. I really liked Nikki and found her insecurities extremely relatable. I liked how she had her preconceived notions about other women completely debunked. It was nice to see women coming together to help build each other. The relationship between Porter and Nikki ended up being organic and I really liked that. I did not like that it took Darren coming to spur his jealously and get him moving. I was upset that it took me so long to realize that her friend Amy was the same Amy that Kendall was upset over, and that he put the add in that specific paper for her. I am very much looking forward to the next book. I cannot wait to find out what happens with for Kendall and Marcus!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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